This invention relates to network access servers and more particularly to a novel dial access stack architecture.
A Network Access Server (NAS) is used for processing multiple fax, analog modem, digital data or other types of calls sent over a Public Service Telephone Network (PSTN) or any other type of communication system. The NAS includes T1, E1, T3 and/or E3 line interfaces that send and receive information over the PSTN. Controllers, framers and modem modules in the NAS convert channel data from the line interface units into digital packets. The packets are sent from the modems over a backplane to router circuitry in the NAS that sends the packets out a packet based network over a LAN or WAN port.
As Internet traffic increases, there is a need to increase the number of communication channels that the NAS can handle at the same time. The prior solution for increasing NAS call processing capacity was to simply increase the number of line interface units, framers and modem modules in the NAS chassis. However, NAS capacity is limited to the physical number of modules that can be supported in one NAS box. Processing capacity is also limited by the bandwidth of the buses used in a NAS backplane for sending data between the different NAS processing modules. Thus current NASs have limited scalability and can only process information from a limited number of communication channels.
The individual line interface units and other processing modules typically communicate to each other using a proprietary communication protocol. A NAS therefore cannot be easily upgraded or interchanged with modules used in other NAS architectures or incorporating different processing technology. All processing modules must also be compatible with the physical board sizes and interfaces used for connecting the modules to a NAS backplane. These restrictions also make it difficult to upgrade NASs or increase the communication links the NAS can process.
Current NAS architectures provide little or no fault tolerance against failures that occur in the field. Upon encountering a failure, field service engineers typically swap out the entire NAS box. For example, when a single modem module in the NAS fails, the entire NAS box is turned off and the modem card replaced. When the NAS is shut down, every call coming into the NAS is disrupted. Because the NAS handles a large number of calls at the same time, any failure, no matter how small, disrupts a large number of telephone calls.
Some NAS architectures break the NAS system into many very small subsystem cards. When a failure occurs, the whole subsystem card is decommissioned and manually swapped by an operator with a standby subsystem card at a later time. Even if a subsystem is partially operational, it is fully decommissioned if a failure is detected. To reduce the effects of failures, redundant cards are placed in the NAS chassis. However, the redundant cards take up space in the NAS chassis and require additional power and interconnectivity that further reduce NAS scalability.
Accordingly, a need remains for a network access server architecture that is more scalable and more easily upgradeable while at the same time being more fault tolerant.